If you read “The Ad Section” with any regularity, you know that I think advertisers shouldn’t make viewers work hard to understand their commercials. I’m all for engaging the audience with a clever storyline, but too often the plot is hard to follow and the payoff has little to do with the product being sold. Selling stuff is the reason why commercials exist, after all. That’s why I like this commercial for Volkswagen’s Beetle convertible.

We open on a young woman being roused from sleep at 1:43 a.m. by the sound of pebbles being gently tossed against her bedroom window. Cat Power’s sultry rendition of “Dark Side of the Street” immediately sets a provocative tone as our sleepy Juliette makes her way to the window. She looks down to discover Romeo standing next to his droptop Bug, gesturing for her to come join him. This guy is either already her boyfriend or wants to be, and at the risk of getting comments vilifying me for objectifying women, I will go on record as saying I can see why. I believe the technical term here is “damned good casting.” As he gestures to her to come down, she motions back to be quiet and flashes a smile that says, “I’ll be right there.”

By now we’ve noticed that something strange is going on; it’s the middle of the night yet it’s light outside. Hmmm. Maybe it’s really 1:45 in the afternoon and she’s a late sleeper? But then why are the streets and restaurant deserted, and why is the cop zonked out with his feet up on his desk? Moreover, why is the sun going up? Hey, waaaaait a minute, is that a reindeer standing in the middle of the intersection? Now I get it—they’re going for a sunny, top-down joy ride in the middle of the night because they’re in Alaska! For viewers who may still be confused, the Land of the Midnight Sun sign at the end of the spot, er, sheds some light on the joke. And if they still don’t get it, the closing super spells it out: “The Beetle convertible will brighten your night.”

So what makes this a good spot? Commercials are supposed to communicate a brand’s message while keeping the viewer engaged. On its website, Volkswagen sums up its positioning for the Beetle convertible as “The Top Goes Down, the Fun Goes Up.” That’s what this commercial is all about, plus it rewards close viewing with a relevant payoff. And that’s why it gets fifth gear.

But alas, “Moonight” has a dark side: It was reportedly filmed in Vallejo, California, not Fairbanks, Alaska. And that reindeer? Survey says it’s likely domesticated, maybe borrowed from the Santa’s Village in Alameda since reindeer don’t generally wander down to the Bay Area. A handful of offended Fairbanksians have posted mild outrange on various news stories regarding this blatant deceit, but I say take a cue from the commercial itself: Let the light in and enjoy the ride.

Award-winning ad man-cum-auto journalist Don Klein knows a good (or bad) car commercial when he sees one; the Ad Section is his space to tell you what he thinks of the latest spots. His rating for the ad is depicted via a shift pattern, but everyone has an opinion when it comes to advertising, so hit Backfires below and tell us what you think, too.